The Pale Crocodile
by LaprasBtch
Summary: Sometimes there are prophecies that can change the outcome of a person's life, then there are prophecies that can change the outcome of the world. Unfortunately for Harry, he seems to always be involved with the latter. This time, though, the stakes seem to be a little higher, and there are a lot more dragons. Starts in the Goblet of Fire.
1. An Introduction of Species

**AN: Quick disclaimer: I own nothing but the basics of the plot. **

**As well, the story was changed slightly since it was originally uploaded. After reading the reviews, I decided to remove the egg from this chapter. It will make an appearance sometime later, however. **

**Anyways, enjoy reading!**

**.-.-.-.-.**

Harry sighed and stared at the glassy surface, as he drew his knees to his chest. He couldn't help but wonder what lived beneath it. He fumbled with his bag and drew out one of the book's he'd snagged from Dudley's pile of discarded birthday presents last year.

_The Mysterious Monsters of the Water: A Brief Encyclopedia of Water Dwelling Animals_, it read in big blue letters across the cover. He'd skimmed it pretty thoroughly in his room before coming back to Hogwarts, but he'd kept it around anyways. Something about it just intrigued him.

He looked over at Hagrid's hut, frowning as he noticed a lack of smoke puffing up from the chimney. That typically meant the half giant was off running an errand for Dumbledore. Harry'd seen him at the opening feast, but their first class of Magical Creatures had been canceled. It was odd, and rather disappointing, considering Harry had wanted to ask him about what exactly lived in the lake.

He'd heard rumors that there were mermaids down there, and of course, there was the giant squid, but what else was down there? He chewed on his lip and opened the book.

"The mayfly is a delicate looking insect with nearly transparent wings. They are most often seen when they swarm for mating or come to lights at night. The adults live only for a few days for the purpose of mating and usually do not eat." Harry read the passage aloud. The creatures that lived on top of the water didn't intrigue him as much as those that lived in it.

He'd always wished he had gills. Once, when he was six, he'd gotten the chance to go to the public pool with Dudley and Aunt Petunia a few times. Vernon had put an end to it before long, but he'd briefly been able to enjoy the water, and during that time, he'd fallen in love with it. I

Everything just faded away when he was underwater. It was like a whole different world, one where things were different, where they were better. Where he was happy. He flipped to a different page and read the passage he'd landed on.

"Leeches are often found in vegetation and the bottom areas of warm shallow water. They are nocturnal, which causes them to seek dark areas during the day."

Harry pursed his lips and looked back at the lake. Hopefully there were no leeches in there. Then again, from what he'd heard, it wasn't shallow nor warm. Of course, he'd never dared to put so much as a toe in it. He shivered. There were consequences for swimming. He didn't want to get in trouble for it here at Hogwarts. Things were good here. He didn't want to ruin them.

He looked around. There was no one else around. Everyone was inside, talking about the cup. No one would see him if he just felt the water. He stood up and shook the dirt off his robes, laying the book on top of his bag. He looked back towards the castle doors once more before walking to the edge of the water. He watched the water lap at his shoes for a moment before leaning down. He let the water slide over his fingers and smiled.

"Definitely too cold for leeches." He said to himself.

"There are much worse things in here than leeches, young one." Harry started and jumped back from the water, wildly looking around. A light feminine laugh filled the air.

"I didn't mean to scare you, young one. I just thought to warn you before you came in." Harry looked around, but the grounds were empty. He was the only one here. He bit his lip.

"Down here, youngling." The voice called to him. He looked at the surface of the water and gasped. A reptilian creature rested in the water a little ways away from the shore, its snout just peaking out of the water.

"Um." Harry paused. "Are you talking to um me?" The laugh from before filled his ears again.

"Yes. Whom else would I be talking to?" The creature blinked at Harry. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to push it out of his eyes.

"But why are you-" Harry stopped, unsure of what to say. He took another step away from the water's edge.

"Because you are different from the others, I've seen." The thing faced Harry and ducked under the water. He watched the water's surface, unable to see where the creature had gone due to the murkiness. He chewed on his lip, ignoring the taste of blood.

"Hello?" He called out nervously. He rolled his eyes at himself. What was he doing? A talking reptile? He was going insane. He went back to his bag and sat down with his book.

"What is that?" The voice asked Harry. He peered over the edge of the book and saw the creature had emerged from the water. It looked remarkably like a crocodile he'd seen at the zoo one time, but crocodiles didn't talk.

"A book." He said. He flipped to the section about crocodiles and alligators. He glanced at the creature and then back at the picture of the crocodile in the book. They looked exactly the same.

"And what exactly is a book?" The crocodile thing asked him, waddling closer. Harry tilted his head to the side, trying to figure out how to explain what a book was.

"Well, it's a collection of information or ideas." He paused, chewing on his lip again, "We write them down in books so that we can share them with others."

"Why not just tell others what you want to say?" The creature asked sounding confused.

"We do, but books can be used to pass information and such through generations and across the world." A throaty murmur came from the creature as it contemplated Harry's words.

"I've seen you before, youngling." It said to Harry. "I've seen you down here reading these books, as you call them." It waddled closer to the boy. Its belly dragged along the ground as it walked, leaving a rivet in the mud.

"Why do you read so many of them?" It asked, pausing in front of him.

"I find them interesting." He said, looking down at the book in his hands. Lately he found them more interesting than people. Less annoying as well.

"But where is your family, young one? Why do they not read with you?" Harry looked up at the crocodile like creature. Now that it was closer to him, he could see a few differences between it and the picture of the crocodile. It's scales looked soft, almost like those of a snake. It was a greyish white, except for around the eyes. It had delicate swirling patterns of black scales around its eyes and down the front of its snout.

It blinked at him, waiting for him to answer.

"I don't really have one." He admitted. He toyed with the pages of the book, bending the corners and unbending them. A tutting sound came from the creature and he looked up at it.

"Why not? All younglings need a family."

"My parents died when I was just a baby." He rubbed at his scar. He was so tired of people's pity, and now this magical crocodile thing was going to pity him. He was the Boy-Who-Lived with the tragic past. He couldn't escape it. He bit his lip.

The creature walked closer to him. He raised his eyebrows and tried to scoot away.

"I'm not going to hurt you young one. I just want to smell you." The creature pressed the end of its snout against his calf and breathed in loudly. Harry stayed still, afraid to move. He could just barely see some of the thing's bottom teeth sticking out. They looked sharp. The creature could snap him in half if it wanted, he was sure of it.

"You do smell lonely, young one. What is your name?" It asked him, pulling back so that it could look at his eyes. It had black eyes, purley black, except for a sliver of a blue iris.

"Harry." He whispered. He dug his fingers into the ground and tried to breathe.

"Harry. A beautiful name, young one. I am Lilith, mother and the last of the Jiaolong of the Black Lake." Lilith said. Her eyes roved across Harry's face and narrowed.

"It's nice to meet you, Lilith. " Harry said nervously, attempting to smile.

"You are the first one who has been able to hear my voice in many, many years, little Harry." She mused to herself, turning towards the water.

"How come I can hear it then?" He asked. Lucky him, something else only he could hear.

"I do not know." Lilith said, "Others are coming. They are much too loud for me, so I think I shall bid you goodbye, youngling." She paused as reached the edge of the water

"If you'd like, you should back and visit me. I would very much like to talk with you again. It gets lonely here sometimes." She said, before diving into the water. Harry watched the crocodile creature's body disappear under the murky water. Once she'd fully submerged, he turned around and looked at the school's entrance. A short redhead was waving at him.

"Oi! Harry!" Ron shouted. Harry rolled his eyes and turned around to wave at the redhead. He walked towards Ron. He'd really hoped that his moment of peace and quiet would've lasted longer. Then again, it had been cut short by a strange crocodile thing, so he supposed he really couldn't blame Ron.

"You've got to come see this mate, Fred and George are going to try and get past the age circle. They've got aging potions and everything." The redhead said excitedly, turning back towards the door before Harry had even reached him. Harry jogged over to him and the two walked into the castle.

"Why were you out there anyways, Harry? It's bloody gloomy. Not to mention cold." Ron asked as they walked.

"I was just reading." Harry said. Ron shrugged. He wasn't sure if he should tell his friend about what had happened. Something made him feel like he shouldn't. He didn't want people thinking he was insane like they had when he started hearing the basilisk. He could still vividly remember Hermione telling him that hearing things, even in the wizarding world, wasn't good.

"Hurry up, we're gunna miss it." He said, walking faster. Harry rolled his eyes. He really had no desire to see the twins try and trick Dumbledore's age circle. It wasn't going to work anyways. But he figured he might as well indulge his friend. The two hadn't been spending much time together this year, and oddly enough, he found that he missed the redhead.

They arrived in the hall that held the cup, and Harry had to fight the urge to roll his eyes again. The twins were standing just to the side of the aging circle and had managed to captured the attention of almost everyone in the room like two jesters holding court.

"Alright my friends prepare to witness a miracle." Fred said with a grin and a bow.

"We brewed these last night, it's fresh from the cauldron." George said, holding up two small, green vials. He wiggled them at the audience before handing one to his Fred. The two smirk at each other as they open the potions. Both stick their tongues out and let a single drop of the potion fall on them, before recorking the vials.

"And now to put our names in the Goblet." Fred said as he and George linked arms and hopped over the line Dumbeldore had drawn around the Goblet. A moment passed and nothing happened. The twins broke into identical grins, and they each pulled out a sheet of paper from their pockets. They leaned forward to drop their names in, but a loud sizzling sound distracted them. Harry blinked as a large flash of light obscured his view of the Weaselys.

The two were launched out of the circle and landed on their backs, staring at the ceiling.

"Oh Merlin." Their friend Lee Jordan whispered, as he walked over to them. He stared at them, and then began to laugh. Harry looked over and sniggered. They'd each grown long white beards, which were quite similar to that of their headmaster. As the two sat up, the hall burst into laughter.

"I told you it wouldn't work." Hermione said, walking across the room to join the Harry and Ron. George glared at her and looked at his twin.

"I do believe this young whippersnapper is trying to tell us she knows more than us. Can you believe that, mu brother? A young child such as this thinking she knows more than us two old wise men. What has this world come to?" George said, throwing his arm across Fred's shoulders.

"When I was her age, I never would've talked to one of my elder's like that." Fred said, pretending to be affronted. He turned his nose up in the air and sighed.

"Keep this up, and I won't brew you the antidote." Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. The twins' eyes grew wide.

"But, Hermione, you promised." Fred said as his lower lip pushed itself into a pout.

"But, you're my elders, so you can obviously brew the potion better than me, so why should I do it?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Our old hand shake too much to brew, young miss." George said with a cheeky smile. Hermione shook her head and rummaged in her bag, pulling out two small vials filled with blue, bubbling liquid.

"You're lucky. I already brewed it. Drink up before one of the professors come in. I'm sure if one of them sees you like this, we'll all get in trouble." The twins each drank their antidote. The beards seemed to grow backwards, shrinking back into their faces. Lee and Ron laughed at the redheads' expressions of pain, while Hermione ignored them.

She turned to Harry and frowned.

"Are you alright, Harry? You look a little pale." She said, placing the back of her hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine, 'Mione. Just a little tired." He said with a slight smile. She pursed her lips and stared at him.

"Hey, do we have Divination tonight?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject. Hermione's eyes narrowed. She drew her hand back but continued looking over him.

"I dunno, mate." Ron said, before turning to Hermione. "Do we?"

"If you two don't know, how would I?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you always know everything…"Ron trailed off, scratching the back of his head. Hermione clucked her tongue against her front teeth. Harry sighed. He didn't want to listen to this fight again.

"It's okay, I'll just check my schedule. I think I left it in my room though, so I'll go grab it and meet you guys at dinner afterwards." Harry said, turning towards Gryffindor tower.

"Okay, Harry." Ron said, casting a thankful look at his friend. Harry shrugged in response and started back to his room. He knew that they didn't have Divination tonight. They had it on Wednesdays just before Astrology, but he needed a moment to think about what had happened down at the lake. A moment without Hermione pestering him with questions and without Ron blabbering about the Tournament. Maybe he should go to the library instead. There was sure to be a book on the jiaolong thing there. He looked behind him to make sure none of his friends had followed him before ducking into the library.

He nodded at Madame Pince. The older woman raised her thin grey eyebrows at him.

"Mr. Potter. Shouldn't you be at dinner?" She asked, tapping her fingers against her desk. Harry looked around, noticing the distinct lack of students. He shrugged.

"I just wanted to look something up really quick." She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Harry held back a snicker. Madam Pince and Hermione were much more alike than his friend would admit.

"What is it you wanted to look up, Mister Potter?" She asked. He stepped closer to her desk.

"Um. I need to look up the um jiaolong for a project for Magical Creatures." He muttered, trying to think of an excuse that the grey haired woman would buy.

"The term's hardly started, Mister Potter. Surely Professor Hagrid has not already assigned you a project?" She asked, picking up her quill and scribbling something on one of the papers covering her desk.

"It's a term long project. I just want to get a head start, you know?" He fumbled, tugging on the strap of his bag nervously. The woman smiled slightly and murmured an accio quietly. Two thick, aging books sped towards her from the maze of shelves behind her.

"These are the only two books that we have on the jiaolong. Why Professor Hagrid assigned you a project on such a rare creature, I know not." She muttered, her brows furrowing, "Regardless, I will let you check these out for your project, as I am afraid I must close the library for the evening. All students and professors are required to be at dinner tonight for the announcement of the champions."

"I didn't know that we had to be at dinner, sorry m'am." Harry mumbled, watching her write the names of the books into the register. _Aquatic Dragons for Beginners _by Rufus Black and _The Jiaolong: The Chinese Myth _by Olaf Kristenion_. _

"Your head of house should have informed you this morning at breakfast." Madam Pince said with a raised eyebrow, as she handed the quill to Harry. Harry shrugged and tried to smile.

"I wasn't at breakfast." He said as he signed his name next to the titles.

"These are due back December first, Mister Potter. I recommend you start with Aquatic Dragons for Beginners. The other is a much harder read." She said, handing him the books. He smiled in thanks.

"Now, Mister Potter, please leave my library so that I may go to dinner." She said, turning away from him.

"Thanks you, Madam Pince." He called at her retreating form. He left the library and headed towards the Great Hall. He chewed on his lip.

So jiaolongs were dragons? He hummed thoughtfully. He'd been excepting them to be some sort of magical creature, but not a dragon. Perhaps he could write to Ron's brother Charlie, the dragon tamer. He was sure to know something about these odd crocodile looking dragons. If Harry did that though, people were sure to start asking questions. If something was mentioned to Ron, the redhead would know Harry was lying about the Magical Creatures project. He chewed on his lip. Maybe he could say he was working on an extra credit project?

He walked into the Great Hall and sighed. It was packed full. Students were crammed on the benches like sardines. The influx of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students coupled with all the first years had caused things to get a little crowded. Thankfully, the two schools had chosen to sit with Ravenclaw and Slytherin rather than Gryffindor, so his table wasn't too crowded.

He slipped into the open spot between Ron and Seamus. He set the Aquatic Dragons book on the table and slipped the other one into his bag. Rather than setting his bag on the floor like he'd normally do, he put it on his lap. He'd rather not have anyone kick it and send its contents flying across the floor again, especially not with that book in there. Madam Pince would skin him alive if he brought it back messed up.

He flipped the book open to the index and dragged his finger along the pages as he read each entry. Jiaolong, pages 324-325. Harry sighed. There was only a single page devoted to the dragon. He flipped to the page and began reading.

_Jiaolong (also called Jiao) _

_Jiaolong or jiao is a polysemous aquatic dragon that was first mentioned in Chinese mythology. It was first seen in sometime around the birth of Merlin; however, none have been seen since the early 1500s. It is believed that they are now extinct. _

_They were hunted for their scales, which can be used in various potions and for their eyes, which were used by seers and necromancers to assist them with reaching into the veil. _

_While little information on these dragons exists to modern day, it is assumed that they were able to shape shift. The few notes that can be found on them describes them as having both the head of a tiger and that of a crocodile. It has been suggested that this means they were able to change the shape of their heads as needed. Many of the notes found also described the dragon as a fish with a snakes tail. However, no drawings or other images of the dragons exist today. _

Harry sighed and reread the passage. How could this be what he'd seen? Jiaolongs had been extinct for a few hundred years. Plus, they were from China. How could there be one in Hogwarts' lake? He shoved the book in his bag and took out the other one.

It was much thinner than the other book, looking to only be a hundred or two pages long. It also appeared to be much older. Its spine was cracked and bits of the cover were flaking off. He gingerly opened it, afraid to cause the book any more damage. A black and white illustration of a large dragon turning into a woman with long, flowing hair adorned the page opposite the text.

Harry stared at it. The woman had black, swirling lines drawn around her eyes much like those of the creature he'd seen earlier. He turned to the text and began to read

_The jiaolong is a mysterious creature. It has been connected with the mizuchi of Japenese culture, the mermaids of European, and other legends from all around the world. They've been connected with sharks, stingrays, and snakes, but few have ever seen a jiaolong. _

_It has been said that Merlin himself was one of the only men to ever see one with his own eyes. The drawing here is a copy of one of Merlin's own supposed drawings of the jiaolong. _

A sharp elbow jabbed Harry in the side, rousing him from his reading.

"Harry, that's you." Seamus whispered.

"Huh?" He asked his classmate, confused. He looked around. Everyone was staring at him.

"Your name, it came out the goblet." Seamus said, nudging him with his elbow again, "you're the fourth champion, Harry."

**.-.-.-.**

**AN: Hey guys! I'm still working on Fortune Cookie, no worries, but this story has been playing around in my head for awhile, so I decided to give it a chance. **

**By the way, in answer ****to a few people's reviews, Harry is taking Astrology not just Astronomy here. Sorry for the confusion. **

**Review and let me know if you think I should continue it!**

**Have a great day, guys and thanks for reading! :)**


	2. I Think I See a Crocodile

**AN: A special thanks to geetac, Endgames, Kairan1979, and Sasoridisciple for reviewing chapter one. It makes me happy to know you guys cared enough to leave a review, even if it was just to correct me on the name of a class. :) **

**Usual disclaimer in that I own really nothing but the basics of the plot. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**.-.-.-.**

"But I didn't put my name in!" Harry protested. The adults stared at him. He could've sworn he saw Snape roll his eyes.

"Then how did your name get name get into the cup?" Karkaroff sneered. The man's right hand curled into a fist. Harry sighed.

"I don't know. That's what I've been saying this whole time. I have no idea how it got in there." Harry said, running his hand through his hair frustratedly. He didn't put his name in the damn thing. He didn't want to have any part of the stupid tournament. He'd wanted to have a normal year, one where he wouldn't almost die.

"Well we can't do anything about it now. Mister Potter will have to compete." Crouch said with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"But that iz not fair." Madam Maxime said with a huff. The tall woman gripped the shoulder of her champion Fleur Delacour tighter.

"If he competes, she shall not." She said, glaring at Crouch.

"Just like Harry, her name came out of the goblet; therefore, she is contractedly obligated to participate. If she does not, she will be stripped of her magic." Crouch continued rubbing his eyes.

"You cannot do that!" Fleur exclaimed. Her brows rose and narrowed into an upside down V. Madam Maxine released her grip on her students shoulder and began rubbing the girl's back with her large hand.

"But they can." Karkaroff murmured, rubbing his goatee. Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes. The man's goatee was hardly anything more than a few hairs. It looked more embarrassing than intimidating. He didn't understand why the Durmstrang Headmaster didn't just shave the thing.

"Karakaroff and Mr. Crouch are, unfortunately, correct Madam." Dumbledore said. Harry chewed on his lip. He'd expected that Dumbledore would be able to get him out of this. The older wizard could do what others couldn't, afterall. He had to have some sort of power that he could use to get Harry out of having to compete.

"Is there any way to cancel the tournament?" Professor McGonagall asked Crouch. The man frowned and opened his mouth, but Karkaroff cut him off before he could speak.

"Treachery! It is a plot! You and your Ministy of Magic have lured me here under false pretence, Dumbledore! This is not an equal competition! First you sneak Potter into the Tournament, though he is underage! Now you wish to cancel it, let your little Ministry friend put my champion out of action? I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences—here's what I think of you!" Karkaroff spit at the older wizard's feet.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Karkaroff, but it has not been my intention to deceive you. I simply called for the tournament to be renewed to better the relationship between our schools and our students." Dumbledore said, stepping forward onto Karkaroff's spit. The other headmaster backed up, inadvertently running into Snape. The Potions Master rolled his eyes and pushed Karkaroff off of him. Karkaroff stumbled forward before turning around to glare at the man who'd pushed him.

"Calm down, Karkaroff, the tournament cannot be canceled. As soon as goblet announced the first champion's name, it became impossibly to cancel or stop the tournament in any way." Crouch said, sitting down in one of the many chairs scattered around the room. He rubbed his forehead with his thumb and middle finger.

"If we were to stop the tournament or prevent any of the champions from participating it would strip them of their magic as I just said." Crouch continued.

"There iz no way around it?" Maxine asked. Crouch shook his head.

"But Hogwarts has two champions, how iz that fair. Beauxbatons should have another champion too." She said, glaring at the Ministry official.

"And Durmstrang!' Karkaroff said from the corner he now stood in, away from both Snape and Dumbledore.

"Only those whose name was announced by the Goblet can compete. I've told you all this before." Crouch sighed and leaned back into the chair. Harry glanced over at the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory. The same Cedric that had accompanied him and the Weaselys to the Quidditch Cup. He wished he could give up his position as Hogwarts champion fully to Cedric. The older student deserved it anyways. He'd actually put his name into goblet.

The Hufflepuff looked over at him and flashed him a small smile. Harry nodded and smiled back.

"Then we give the students another opportunity to put their names in the goblet." Karkaroff said, his eye narrowing. Harry looked over at Krum. The Quidditch player looked like he didn't want to be here just as much as Harry. He tried to smile at the other champion, but Krum scowled back at him. He sighed.

"That is impossible." Crouch said, his lips narrowing into a thin line, "The moment goblet became dormant, everything was set in stone. The tournament must go one and the champions called must compete."

Karkaroff and Maxime began complaining, but Dumbledore cut them off.

"Now, now, how bout we let the champions out to be congratulated by their peers and we can continue discussing this in private?" He asked the other headmasters, his eyes glancing at Harry. Karkaroff rolled his eyes, while Maxine smiled at her student and told her to go and celebrate with her classmates. The four champions were ushered out of the room and back into the Great Hall by McGonagall.

The rest of the students had gone back to eating, but they stopped when the door to the side chamber the champions had left through opened. Harry grimaced. It felt like every eye in the room was on him. He shuddered and made his way to the Gryffindor table, keeping his eyes on the floor. He sat back down between Seamus and Ron, pleased to find that they had saved his seat.

"What happened in there?" Hermione asked him, curiously. Harry shrugged.

"They just argued about whether or not I should be allowed to compete."

"Well, obviously, they're not going to let you, right?" She asked, leaning forward. The students around them leaned in as well, curious themselves.

"It looks like I have to. Something about some sort of a magical contract or something."

"But you're underage!" Ron exclaimed, stabbing his food with his fork. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You wanted to enter too and you're underage." Harry pointed out, as he grabbed a roll from one of the bowls in front of him.

"But I didn't enter. That's the difference." Ron said. He shoved another forkful of food in his mouth. Harry rolled his eyes and tore his roll in half so he could put butter on it.

"I didn't enter though. Someone else must have put my name in." He said, spreading butter on the bread.

"Whatever." Ron said, pushing his plate away and standing up, "I'm going back to the common room. Harry looked Hermione and raised an eyebrow.

"Is he okay?" He asked her. Hermione shrugged and went back to reading. He looked around at his housemates, but they didn't meet his eyes. Seamus pushed his food around on his plate, while Lavender started rummaging in his bag. Harry sighed and stood up, hoisting his bag over his shoulder.

"I guess I'll go too. I've got to finish that Charms essay before tomorrow. " Harry smiled at them, but no one smiled back. He shook his head and walked out of the Great Hall.

"Congratulations, Harry." An airy voice said from behind him as he walked through the archway. He looked over and saw one of the Ravenclaw 3rd years walking next to him. Her name was Luna or Lucy, something like that. He couldn't quite remember.

"Thanks" He paused, unsure of what to call her.

"Luna. Luna Lovegood." She said, smiling. He'd returned her smile and thanked her, this time using her name. He wondered if Madam Pince would reopen the library after dinner. He could study in there without being bothered. Everyone was probably going to start pestering him about what he was going to do about the Tournament, and, frankly, he didn't even want to think about that at all. He frowned.

"You okay, Harry? Are the nargels bothering you? I told them to leave you alone, but they're horrible at listening." The young blonde said, her brow furrowing.

"Oh. No, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about the Tournament and stuff." Harry said, trailing off. Luna shrugged.

"Are you sure? Cause if it's the nargels, I can give them a talking to if you want." Luna said, gently poking the older student in side with her elbow.

"Thanks, but I think I'm good. I'll see you later, Luna." He said, heading towards the library. The Ravenclaw called out a bye after him and turned to walk to her own dorm.

Harry sighed as he reached the library and saw that the doors were closed. He tried them just to be sure, but they were locked.

"Might as well go to the tower then." He muttered to himself. He trudged up the closest set of stairs.

"Is it true?" One of the paintings asked him. It held a shot man with a long nose and bushy black eyebrows in purple, frilly dress robes. Harry rolled his eyes and ignored the little man, but the man chased him through the portraits as he walked, repeating his question.

"Is what true?" Harry finally asked him.

"That you're the Hogwarts champion for the Triwizard Tournament, of course!" The little man exclaimed, his mustache quivering. Harry shook his head, annoyed.

"Yes. One of them."

"Oh goody! I was a champion back in my day. I won the whole darn thing. I'm so happy they've brought it back." The man grinned at Harry. Harry paused. A previous champion?

"Hey, do you know if there is any way to get of competing in the tournament?" Harry asked the purple robed figure. The painted man's expression soured.

"Turning chicken before the first task? You should be ashamed young man. You are a Gryffindor." He said with a nod to Harry's red and gold tie.

"The first task? What do you mean?" Harry asked as he stopped walking. Dumbledore had spoken briefly about the tournament at the welcome feast, but he hadn't given many details.

"Do you know nothing, boy? The tournament is made up of three tasks meant to test your prowess as a wizard." The man folded his arms across his chest and scowled at Harry.

"Yes, but what are the tasks?" He asked the painting curiously.

"I have no idea. They change with each tournament." The man paused and chewed his lip. "Though there's usually at least one task that involves creatures. When I was competing we had to catch a cockatrice. The thing went on a rampage though, so I don't know if they'll try that again." The man stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"You'll be fine though, my boy. Don't fret." He said, looking up at Harry's face, which was beginning to look a little too pale.

"But I'm only a fourth year." He complained to the portrait. The man rolled his eyes at him.

"And a wizard!" He said, turning around and jumping through the painting's frame into another one.

"Wait!" Harry called out after him. He waited a moment to see if the purple-robed wizard would reappear, and sighed when the man didn't. He probably could've gotten more information about the tournament out of the little man than Hermione could have out of a book. He shrugged and kept walking.

Maybe he'd ask Hermione to look up the tournament for him. She'd done a bit of research already, but maybe he could convince her to look up previous tasks, so that he had some idea of what he was going to be doing.

"Password?" He looked up at the Fat Lady. She grimaced down at him.

"Balderdash." He said. The Fat Lady sniffed and swung open to let him in. He raised an eyebrow and stepped into the common room. She seemed to be in a bad mood. He hoped Fred and George hadn't tried one of their pranks on her again. Last time they'd done that, all the Gryffindors had been locked out for a full day. They'd spelled her painting to change colors and she hadn't appreciated the addition to her portrait.

He looked around the common room. It was mostly empty except for a few first years sitting at one of the tables doing their homework and Ron playing wizarding chess with a blond sixth year. He walked over to his redheaded friend.

"Hey Ron, can I get next game?" He asked. Ron looked up at him and tugged on the sleeve of his robes.

"I've actually got to work on homework after this. You know the Charms essay? Sorry mate." He said, turning back to the game. He moved one of his pawns forward one space. His opponent grinned and used his rook to take the pawn.

"Oh, okay. Mind if I work on it with you? I haven't finished mine yet." Harry asked. Ron glanced at the blond across from him who shrugged his shoulders.

"Luke's actually gunna help me out with it. Sorry." He said, motioning to the blonde. He then took Luke's rook with a pawn diagonal from it that Luke hadn't previously noticed. The blond swore.

"Alright. No worries." Harry said. He glanced at the pair playing chess confused. It wasn't like Ron to say no to working together. Maybe he just wasn't feeling good, or his mom was getting on him about keeping his grades up. Mrs. Weasely had been ragging on Ron and the twins while he'd visited, so he was sure she was still doing so in her letters to the boys.

He flopped into an empty armchair by the fire place and pulled out his Charms essay. He caught a glimpse of the book about jiaolongs in his bag and toyed with the idea of reading that instead, but shook his head. Hermione would have his head if he didn't get this thing done.

He scribbled on the uses for the summoning charm as the common room slowly filled up. The armchair next to him, however remained empty. He looked up and scanned the room for Hermione. He didn't see her anywhere. Maybe he could ask her to check over his essay tomorrow at breakfast before class instead of tonight. He looked around once more for her and shrugged. He stuffed the parchment back in his back and pulled out the book instead. He picked up where he'd left off when his name had come out of the goblet.

_Despite its mythical origins, the jiaolong is a real creature. _

_However, it does carry many of the mystical qualities that the legends speak of. For example, it is said the jiaolong can shape shift, as shown in Merlin's drawing. Many reports of the creature have included observations of shapeshifiting. Unlike true shape shifters, though, the jiaolong cannot truly transform its body. Jiaolong can only change parts of it. The most often shift their heads into one, which resembles tigers. _

_Some wizards, such as Merlin, have suggested that jiaolongs can transform their upper bodies into human ones, causing them to have a human like appearance. This is, however, unproven. _

_For a human to receive a similar transformation as the ones I have just mentioned, they would have to be transfigured, and they would be unable to maintain their transfiguration for longer than an hour. Most creatures that shape shift have a similar limit as to how long they can hold their shifts. No such limit has been uncovered for the jiaolong as of yet, though. _

_As such, one can assume that these creatures are as fascinating as the legends about them make them out to be. Due to the sheer amount of legends and the little amount of evidence regarding the true lives of the jiaolong, I have taken it into my own hands to decipher which parts of these stories are true and which of them are purely fiction. _

_First, I shall consider the mythology of the conception of the jiaolong. Due to its ability to shapeshift, it has been theorized by many zoolologists that the first jiaolong was conceived by two different species. Normally this is impossible, but sometimes magic can cause the genes to combine in ways they would not normally. _

_Secondly, I shall discuss the story of Merlin and the Jiaolong. Afterwards, I shall look into the rumors regarding the appearance of these creatures and the respective uses of their body parts such as their scales and eyes. Lastly, I will discuss the validity of the rumors that the jiaolong is capable of human speech or telepathic communication. _

Harry yawned and looked up from the book. The crowd in the common room had thinned out some. Ron and Luke had disappeared, as had most of the younger students. He glanced out the window and noticed how dark it'd gotten. Slinging the his bag over his shoulder, he stood up and walked up the stairs.

The dorm was empty. He was surprised. He'd thought most of his dorm mates would be up here. It was fairly late and he hadn't seen them in the common room. He flopped into his bed and folded his arms behind his head.

His eyelids fluttered, and he yawned again. He watched the ceiling for as long as he could, before he couldn't keep his eyes open.

**.-.-.-.**

Harry looked up from his Divination textbook and watched the lake's surface ripple. Things had been weird in Charms, and they'd probably be weird in Divination and Astrology.

Ron had forgone his usual seat next to Harry and had instead joined Seamus. Harry had originally shrugged it off as the redhead being in a bad mood, but then the wanker had done the same thing at lunch. He refused to be near Harry or even say a word to his friend.

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes. He didn't understand Ron. He never really had and probably never would. He looked back at the lake and bit his lip. His eyes scanned the surface for any visible lumps denoting a crocodile or similar creature lurking just underneath.

He was being stupid. He'd probably imagined the whole thing yesterday. Someone had put something in his drink at lunch to make him hallucinate. Most likely Fred or George were testing their newest prank on him. He looked back at his Divination text and tried to read about ovomancy, the art of cracking open eggs and observing the ways the yolks fell.

He didn't understand the concept really. It seemed kind of silly, looking at egg yolks to predict the universe. He scribbled some notes on a spare sheet of parchment.

"Hey Harry."

Harry looked up at the sound of his bushy haired friend's voice. He smiled at Hermione.

"Hey." The redhead standing next to her greeted him.

"Hey Ron." Harry responded. He wasn't sure what to say to his friend. He doodled with his quill, drawing criss crossing lines in the margins of the parchment.

"How'd you do it, mate?" Harry looked up at the Weasely.

"Do what, Ron?" He asked.

"Put your name in the cup." Ron said, kicking a pebble. The rock bounced towards Harry, rolling to a stop a few feet past him.

"I didn't. I told you that at dinner yesterday." Ron rolled his eyes.

"I know you were just telling everyone that, so you wouldn't get in trouble. You don't have to pretend with me, so how'd you do it?" He asked again. Hermione tucked a strand of wayward hair behind her ear.

"What do you mean?" Harry said, standing up, "I really didn't put my name in the cup. Why would I lie about that?"

"How else did your name get in there then?" Ron asked, stepping forward.

"I don't know. Someone else put it in there?" Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"And just why would someone do that?" Ron asked, sneering, "Cause you're special? Cause you're the famous Harry Potter who gets to do everything he wants? I bet you asked Dumbledore to put your name in."

"I didn't even want to be a part of the tournament, Ron!" Harry said, stepping closer to his friend.

"Sure you didn't. You just couldn't stand not being the center of attention, could you Potter?" Ron replied, shoving Harry. Harry's eyes narrowed and he shoved the redhead back.

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled at the two, placing a hand on each of their chests and pushing them apart.

"He started it." Harry muttered, kicking a clump of dirt and avoiding Hermione's eyes.

"Whatever." Ron said, turning around stalking back to the castle. Hermione looked at him and then back at Harry.

"Come on. We're going to be late for Divination." She said, before jogging to catch up with Ron. Harry sighed and picked up his bag, following the two. When they reached the class, Ron and Hermione sat down at a table with Dean, leaving Harry without a place to sit. He looked around for an empty seat and saw one next to the blonde Ravenclaw he'd talked to yesterday.

"Luna, what are you doing here? Isn't third year Divination Thursdays?" He asked her, sitting next to her.

"Yes, but I have detention with Professor Trewlaney told me to come and help her during the upper classes for my detention." She said dreamily, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand.

"How come you have detention with Trewlaney?" Harry asked her. She didn't seem the type to get in trouble. She shrugged in response.

"I told her to stop listening to the nargles and make a real prediction." She frowned, "She didn't seem to like that much though. Even though they were hanging around her ears and obviously whispering fake predictions in them." Harry folded one of his hands over his mouth and struggled not to laugh.

"Miss Lovegood, will you please pass out the crystal balls" The bespectacled professor called out from the other side of the classroom, disrupting the two's conversation. Luna stood up and began passing out the heavy crystal balls to each table. Most of the tables had three students at them, while a few had only two; however, now that Luna had gotten up, Harry was sitting alone at his.

"Students, today we will be scrying the outcome of the Triwizard Tournament." Trelawney said. Most of the students looked at each other and then back at Harry and began talking amongst themselves, ignoring the professor.

She waited until Luna had passed out all of the crystal balls and then sat in the overly stuffed armchair that was positioned next to a small table that held a large crystal ball in the front of the room.

"Now, now, children. We must be quiet if we wish to reach our Inner Eyes." Trewlaney said, glaring at a pair of students talking in the back row of tables. She looked over the classroom and paused when she came to Harry.

"Miss Lovegood, it looks like Mister Potter does not have a partner, please sit with him and be his for the length of this assignment as this predication requires a minimum of two people." Luna walked back to Harry's table and rolled her eyes. Harry gave her a small smile. He understood how frustrating Trelawney could be regularly, he couldn't imagine having to serve detention with her.

"Now, focus your minds and look into the crystal balls." Trelawney said, watching the students. Luna leaned forward and narrowed her eyes.

"Why Harry, I do believe I see a cloud!" She exclaimed, winking at him.

"Is it in the shape of a Grimm? He asked, leaning forward himself. She laughed lightly.

"Lucky for you, I believe it is in the shape of a crocodile, so I think you're safe unless you plan on swimming in the Nile sometime soon." She said, grinning. Harry swallowed. Had she seen him talking to Lilith the other day? Or reading the books on the jiaolong?

"No need to look so scared, I'm just joking." She said, worriedly smiling at him.

"I wasn't scared, simply" He paused, "concerned." She laughed again.

"What, are you afraid the first task is going to involve wrestling crocodiles?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Something like that." He muttered, before squinting at the crystal ball, trying to see something inside it so that he would at least look like he was doing the assignment.

**.-.-.-.-.-.**

**AN: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. If not let me know why in the reviews. If you did enjoy it, also let me know in the reviews! **

**Have a great day, guys! :) **


	3. A Discussion of Woods and Wands

**AN: I just wanted to say thanks to geetac, Endgames, PaC, yupyupyup, Basium1 and Ecomadness for reviewing. You guys' reviews are what keep me writing, so thank you!**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter! **

**-.-.-.-**

Harry slumped forward, his forehead hitting the table with an audible _thunk_. He groaned into the wood.

"You okay, Harry?" Luna asked as she walked by, carrying a crystal ball. Harry shrugged and sat up, wiping a hand over his face.

"Yea, thanks Luna." He smiled at her slightly. She returned his smile with one of her own and placed the crystal ball on a shelf.

"Not seeing anything?" She asked, as she picked up his crystal ball and put it next to the other one. Harry shook his head.

"Well, lucky for you, class if over." She said with a wink, nodding towards where Trelawney was sitting in her overstuffed armchair.

"Ms. Lovegood, are you finished?" The bespectacled professor asked, looking at the blonde. Luna rolled her eyes and nodded, taking the seat opposite Harry.

"Thank you." Trelawney said before turning towards the center of the room, "Now class, I would like to remind you to keep up your dream journals. I know that some of you haven't been recording your dreams as you should." She tapped her forehead with one of her long orange-painted nails.

"Bugger." Harry whispered. He'd forgotten about that.

"The journal is worth 50% of your grade, so it would be in your best interest to record your entries promptly and honestly." She glanced at a pair of girls giggling in the back row and narrowed her eyes. Her fingers tapped against the arm of her chair.

"Class dismissed." She paused. "Ms. Lootheard and Heat please stay behind a moment, I wish to have a word with you." She smiled, showing her crooked teeth to the two previously giggling girls. The brunette one of the two frowned at her partner, who rolled her eyes in return.

"Ms. Lovegood, you too." Trelawney said, turning towards the blonde. Luna forced a smile for the older woman. As soon as the woman looked away, the blonde frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. Helen Lootheard and Jenna Heat walked to Trewlaney and fidgeted with their bags, as Harry packed up his own.

"You going to be alright?" Harry asked, noticing the girl's frown. She nodded and sighed.

"Just annoyed. I've still got another period of detention with her." She said rolling her eyes. Harry shot her a small smile.

"I wish you luck." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he shook his head in return.

"Harry?" A voice came from behind Harry as a finger tapped his shoulder. He turned around and smiled at his bushy haired friend.

"Hey Hermione." The girl smiled and nodded towards the door, "walk with me?"

"Sure. See ya later, Luna." He said, waving at the blonde. She waved back and slumped forward on the table with a groan, as Harry had earlier.

"So, why were you sitting with Luna?" Hermione asked as they walked down the steps of the divination tower. Harry snorted.

"Because you and Ron abandoned me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We didn't abandon you, Ron's just in a bad mood." She shrugged and adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, "What was she doing in our class anyways? Isn't she a second year?"

"Third, I think and she had detention. Stop trying to change the subject, 'Mione."

"I'm not trying to change the subject, Harry." She said, rolling her eyes. Harry stopped walking and grabbed his friend's shoulder.

"What's up with you two? It's like you guys have been purposefully avoiding me since my name came out of the cup." Hermione jerked her shoulder away from Harry's hand.

"I'm walking to the common room with you, how exactly is that avoiding you?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and began walking.

"Hermione, wait." He said, grabbing her shoulder again. She sighed and turned to face him.

"What?"

"I just don't get what I did." He said, his brows furrowing. She sighed again and shook her head.

"Look, Ron's just a bit jealous. Cut him some slack, okay? He's going through a lot right now with his dad's job and stuff." Harry snorted and fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Cut him some slack? I'm sorry, did he just get forced into a dangerous, possibly fatal, tournament without his consent?"

"Harry, I didn't mean it like that." She said, reaching out and rubbing his arm. He stepped back.

"What did you mean then, Hermione?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I just." She paused, "He thinks you put your name in on purpose, without him." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Well I didn't." Hermione shrugged and tucked another strand of hair behind her ear.

"You don't believe me, do you?" He asked her, raising both his eyebrows. She chewed on her thumbnail.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Harry, it's just-" Harry cut her off.

"Just what Hermione? Just what?" He said. He sucked on his teeth, trying to keep himself from lashing out at his friend.

"There's just no other way you're name could've gotten in there."

"But I didn't put my bloody name in there."

"Language, Harry." Hermione said, disapprovingly. Harry rolled his eyes.

"What, are you offended that I said 'bloody?' He said, making air quotes around the word, "Well then, maybe I should be offended that my friends are abandoning me in my time of need because they're jealous."

"It's not like that, Harry." She said, "I'm just trying to get you to see Ron's side of things."

"Why doesn't he try and get me to see his side of things?" Hermione tugged on her bag's strap and looked down at the floor.

"You know how Ron is." She said with a shrug.

"I thought I did, but apparently, I don't any more." He said, turning away from her.

"Harry, wait." She called after him.

"Just leave me alone, Hermione." He said as he walked towards the Great Hall. There was still another period till dinner, so the Hall was empty, something he was thankful for. He ducked out a side door and headed out into the grounds.

He walked to the lake and flopped on to the ground. He threw his bag to the side and put his knees to his chest.

"What an arse." He said, punching the ground, "Can't even face me himself, sends Hermione to do his dirty work." He sighed and ground his teeth together. He'd rather punch Ron than the ground.

"It's not fair." He whispered to himself, twisting one hand into his hair. He tugged at it slightly and then punched the ground again. He let out a quiet whimper, as one of the sharper rocks broke his skin.

"Shit." He said, bringing his hand to his mouth and sucking on his knuckle gently to stop the bleeding. He blinked, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Are you alright, young one?" Harry looked up at the sound of the gravely voice he'd heard the other day. The pale crocodile-like jiaolong floated on the surface of the water, watching him. He wiped his eyes and sighed quietly.

"Yes, just accidently punched a rock." He said, shaking his hand. The jiaolong's eyes narrowed.

"But why would you do that? Would that not hurt?" She asked. Her tail slapped the surface of the water lightly.

"It was an accident." He said, shrugging. He shoved his hand into his robe pocket. Lilith blinked, a set of transparent eyelids folding over her eyes.

"But why would you punch a rock?" She asked, not understanding. Harry sighed. He ran his other hand through his hair, sweeping his bangs out of his eyes.

"I was upset." Lilith swam to the shore and pulled herself out of the water.

"Which brings me back to my original question, are you alright, young one?" She asked as she waddled towards him. Her legs were too short, so her belly dragged along the ground as she walked, becoming brown due to the dirt and mud.

"I'm fine, just frustrated." He said, pulling his knees closer to him. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing the tangles he'd caused earlier.

"My friends just hurt my feelings. That's all." He looked down at the ground in front of his feet. He kicked a pebble and watched as it tumbled down the slight hill and into the water.

"I'm sorry, little Harry." Lilith said, as she walked up next to him. She nudged his leg gently with her snout in a comforting gesture.

"It's okay." He said, looking out at the lake. The surface rippled, hinting that something was swimming just below it. He couldn't help but wonder what else lived in the lake, after all, he'd already met a dragon that called it home.

Lilith lay down next to him, pressing the side of her body against him. He rested his cheek in his palm and his elbow on his knee. He shrugged.

"How long have you lived here in the Black Lake, Lilith?" He asked the jiaolong after a moment. She made an odd sound in the back of her throat, similar to a snort.

"For as long as I can remember." She said. Harry rested his other hand on her back. He rubbed his fingers lightly against her scales. They were rougher than he'd imagined they'd be. He'd assumed they were more like those of a snake, smooth. She made another sound, this one closer to the mewing of a cat than a human snort.

"Have you ever heard of the Triwizard Tournament?" He asked her, biting his lip. Lilith hummed.

"A very long time ago."

"Oh." He sighed.

"Why do you ask, young one?" She said, twisting her neck to the side so that she could look at him. He shivered at the sight of her eye's black sclera. Her near transparent eyelid slid over her eye again.

"Just curious." He said, pulling his hand away and using it to scratch the back of his neck. Her eyelids pulled up and her eyes narrowed. He smiled, his lips remaining over his teeth, remembering what Hagrid had told them a few days ago when Padama had been bit by the Niffler: 'Never show an animal your teeth. It'll be considered an act of defiance or challenge.' He'd rather not anger a dragon, even if it did look like an oversized crocodile instead of a monstrous winged beast of fairy tales.

"Your aura changes when you lie, little Harry." She said, blinking at him. He shrugged again. Her tail slid back and forth across the ground.

"They've reinstated the tournament this year, I was just wondering if you knew anything about it." He said with another tight-lipped smile. The jiaolong turned her head back towards the lake.

"People die during it. Creatures die during it. I do not like it." She said, as she began walking towards the water, "Be careful, little Potter."

Harry watched as the pale creature disappeared into the water. He sighed and leaned back, lying down. He closed his eyes.

On the backs of his eyelids, he could see Dumbledore's face after he'd called his name. It'd been almost angry. The lines on his forehead had been all twisted up and his eyes were barely more than slits. He'd never seen the headmaster look like that.

Harry opened his eyes and stared up at the grey clouds above him. A bird zipped across the sky.

If he didn't compete in the tournament, he'd lose his magic, but if he did compete, he'd probably die. He blew out a stream of air. Could he live the rest of his life as a muggle? At least then he'd be alive.

He sat up and rubbed his face.

Getting up, he hoisted his bag over his shoulder. He adjusted the strap and looked back at the lake. It was still, unlike before, almost as if it was empty. He shook his head and headed back to the castle.

In the Great Hall, he sat at the end of the table, away from the few people who had already gathered for dinner. He pulled out his dream journal and a quill. He flipped the journal open and bit his lip. What to say he'd dreamt about. He hummed, thinking. Then smiling, he put his quill to the paper.

_Monday. _

_I dreamt of a big white crocodile. It climbed out of a lake and started talking to me. It said its name was Lilith. It was huge, bigger than any crocodile I'd seen before. Its eyes were black, completely black like the night sky. It opened its mouth and started talking—in English like a person. _

_It told me that there weren't leeches in the water but that there was something more dangerous in there instead. Then it asked me what a book was. It didn't understand the concept of books. It asked me why I just didn't verbally share information instead. _

_Then it asked me why I didn't have a family. It said all younglings need a family. _

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Harry looked up from his homework. Fifth year Cho Chang stood across the table from him, her head cocked slightly to the side. He smiled at her and swept a hand through his hair, trying to push his bangs out of his eyes.

"What do you mean, it's dinner time, right?" He asked Cho, closing the journal and laying his quill on top of it.

"Yea, but the champions have some special dinner tonight, don't you guys?" She asked, brushing an errant strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Shit." Harry muttered, shoving his journal back in his bag, "I forgot. Thanks for reminding me." He smiled at her again. She returned his with one of her own. Harry blushed slightly and looked down at the table.

"No problem, see you later, Harry." She said, turning back to her table. He watched her walk away for a moment before standing. He pressed the back of his hand against his cheek in an attempt to get the blush to go away. He turned right just outside the Great Hall and headed into one of the lesser-used hallways where the champions were told to report at dinnertime.

Cedric was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall by the one of the doors towards the end of the hall. He was sitting crisscross, a thick book balancing on his knees. He turned a page and then leaned down and scribbled something in one of the margins.

"Hey Cedric." Harry said, walking up to the older boy. Cedric looked up briefly, before returning to his book.

"Hi." Harry stole a peek at Cedric's book and recognized it as the sixth year Charms textbook. The brunette flipped to the index and sighed. He looked back up at Harry, feeling the younger boy watching him.

"Yes?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Harry shook his head and leaned against the wall.

"Nothing. Sorry" He pulled out his jiaolong book from his bag and opened it. He skimmed the last paragraph he'd read and bit his lip before flipping past the rest of the introduction and instead starting on the section entitled "The Conception of the Jiaolong."

_Many zoologists and cryptologists have suggested that the first jiaolong came from the copulation of two different nonmagical species such as a tiger and a crocodile, as it often appears as having the body parts of many different animals such as tigers, snakes, sharks, and stingrays. _

_Some, such as Merlin, have even said that it was born of the mating of a human woman and a male crocodile. These theorists have also suggested that the jiaolong eventually evolved into what we know as mermaids and mermen today due to the combination of the water-dwelling creature genes and those of a human. Considering that mermen and mermaids share many physiological similarities with humans and crocodiles this idea is not too farfetched. It would also explain why jiaolong are absent in the modern world. _

_However, in the same vein it has also been suggested that the jiaolong is the product of the mating of a mermaid and a dragon. _

_Regardless, all of the theories have revolved around the idea of two different species breeding together and their offspring having the ability to shapeshift due to the mixing of such different genes. _

_Several dragonologists have contested this idea, though, because of the magical nature of the creatures. They say that based on the accounts provided by various researches throughout history prove otherwise. Each of the researchers reported that the creatures were only found in locations that were high in magic such as wizarding villages or seer's peaks. _

Harry paused and narrowed his eyes. He'd heard that phrase, "seer's peaks," before, but he couldn't place where. Maybe Trelawney had mentioned it in class. He made a mental note to look it up in his divination textbook later.

He chewed his lower lip in thought. It would make sense that there was a jiaolong at Hogwarts if that were true. According to Hogwarts A History, the wards surrounding the school fed solely off the amount of ambient magic that had accumulated in the area due to the sheer amount of spells that had been cast over the centauries.

_A majority of magical creatures came not from the copulation of nonmagical/magical creatures and humans but rather from an excess of magic. This excess could be anything from spell residue to the death or birth of a different magical creature._

_Take, for example, the ashwinder. Ashwinders are supposedly created from the remains of any magical fire that was allowed to burn unchecked; however, careful study had shown that they, in fact, come from the excess magic the fires put off rather than the fires themselves. _

_The magic's intent, however, does play a role in the creature's abilities or habits. Again, we can look at ashwinders for an example._

_Because the ashwinders are born from magic that was used to create a fire, they take on attributes of the fire. Their eggs, for instance, are red and give off an intense heat. As well they turn to dust or ash after an hour. Each of these attributes are those of fire. _

_In comparison to ashwinders, jiaolong do not seem to have any obvious attributes taken from any particular kind of magic or thing. However, closer analysis suggests otherwise. _

_Most likely, they came from magic that dealt with prophesizing. Various bodyparts of the jiaolong can be used in the art of Diviniation, which will be discussed further in Chapter Three. As well, Merlin also noted that jiaolongs consistently appeared at important events, such as births and deaths in the areas in which they lived._

_As well, Merlin also remarked that it appeared as if the creature fed on magic, which was why they lived in areas that have high concentrations of magic._

He held his lip between his teeth, thinking back to what Lilith had said. She'd called herself both the mother and the last of the jiaolong of the Black Lake. That suggested that there had once been more of her kind. What had happened to them? Had they not had enough magic to feed on?

"Cedric, 'arry. " Fleur said, nodding towards them, as she approached the two. Harry closed his book and smiled at the Beaubaxtons student. She smiled tightly at him in return and leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the hall from the two Hogwarts students. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Harry rolled his eyes; apparently she wasn't up for conversation either.

_He wrote that whenever magic was cast around a jiaolong, it would become whiter and brighter. The caster also tended to feel slightly more drained than they normally would. _

_It can be suggested from Merlin's notes that the jiaolong is a type of magical parasite._

Harry snorted. He'd learned about parasites back in elementary school, albeit briefly, and they certainly hadn't looked like a jiaolong. Weaker creatures were the parasites. The ones that couldn't survive on their own. Lilith seemed too strong for that. Dragons weren't particularly weak as far as he knew.

_However, without theorizing on if the jiaolong can be considered a parasite, it is reasonable to suggest that Merlin's suggestion that the jiaolong fed on magic is correct. All most all magical creatures, including wizards and witches, feed on magic in some way. _

_Again, we return to the example of the ashwinder. It is born of magic and uses magic to sustain itself for the hour of its life. The creature is incapable of living without magic. However, it does not require an active feeding of magic because it is smaller and weaker than that of the jiaolong. _

_The jiaolong, being both larger and likely stronger than the ashwinder, would require a greater food source and, thus, would have to actively feed. This pattern is often seen in nomagical animals. Larger creatures require more substance than smaller ones—it is a well accepted fact of nature. _

Harry continued reading and sighed. He understood now why Madam Pince had told him to read the other book first. The author delved further into the theory of magical creatures origin and requirement of pages for another ten pages. To him, the point seemed to have been proved fairly early on. It felt as if the author was just repeating herself over and over again on each page. Then again, he'd never been great at the theory side of things.

Professor McGonagall had told him once that he lacked curiosity in regards to how things worked. She'd also said that when she was his age, she'd been the same way and that he would change soon enough. He wasn't so sure about that.

At the sound of heavy footsteps, Harry looked towards the entrance of the hall and grimaced at the sight of Kararoff and Krum walking towards him. The Durmstrang Institute headmaster seemed to dislike him, and he wasn't particularly sure why.

"Why are you lot loitering out here? " Kararoff asked as he approached, glaring at the students. Fleur, Harry, and Cedric looked between each other and shrugged. Kararoff grunted wand gestured toward the door.

"Well?" He asked them, gruffly. Fleur walked over and pushed open the door, ignoring the Durmstrang headmaster. Cedric and Krum quickly followed, leaving just Harry and Kararoff in the hall. Harry looked back at the man and shivered. Something felt wrong about him, but he couldn't put his finger on what. He ducked into the room, trying to get away from the older man.

"Oh good, you're all here. I was beginning to worry." Dumbledore said, clapping a hand on Harry's shoulder. He gently pushed the boy towards the other champions.

"Welcome, please take a seat." Dumbeldore said, smiling. Harry took the seat next to Cedric at the large table that had been laid out in the middle of the room. Krum sat on Cedric's other side and Fleur next to him.

"Now, I'm sure you all notice that we have few special guests here today." The headmaster said, gesturing towards an old man and a woman with blonde hair piled high on her head in the back of the room. Behind the woman stood a darker skinned man with a camera in front of his face.

Harry frowned. The older man looked familiar. He chewed on the inside of his lip, trying to place the man's face.

"Mr. Ollivander is here to test your wans to ensure that they are in full working order. We want to be sure that they are fully functional, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead." Ludo Bagman said, as he stepped next to Dumbledore. The blond man placed his hands in the pockets of his dark-blue robe and smiled.

Harry grinned at the name. Now he recognized the old man's face. He'd seen it on his first day in Diagon Alley. He couldn't believe he ever could've forgotten his face.

"After each weighing, Ms. Skeeter will interview the champion for the Daily Prophet. I remind you all to be honest and sincere when answering her questions." Crouch said from where he was leaning against the wall. He stood, grimacing as if in pain, and walked towards the front of the room, leaning heavily on a cane.

"After the interviews, you will all be treated to a special dinner to make up for us causing you to miss your regular dinner in the Great Hall." Bagman said, smiling again. He stepped forward and offered Crouch a hand, but the older man disregarded the offered hand with a frown. He walked past him and sat in one of the armchairs scattered around the room.

"Mr. Ollivander will be weighing your wands in order of your age, so Mr. Krum, if you will." Crouch said, waving for Krum to get up. He stood and walked towards the back of the room where Ollivander and the reporter were waiting.

Krum handed the old wandmaker his wand. The man muttered to himself for a moment, before smiling at the Durmstrang champion.

"Wonderful work…hornbeam with dragon heartstring…ten and a quarter inches…quite rigid. Thicker than normal. A Gregorovitch creation, correct?" He asked. Krum nodded, watching as the wandmaker handled his wand with obvious apprehension on his face.

"Avis" He said. A group of yellow twittering birds shot out of the tip of the wand. They flew around the room briefly before disappearing. Ollivander rolled the wand between his fingers for a moment thoughtfully.

"Be careful with this, Mr. Krum. Hornbeam wands tend to lean towards wizards and witches with a lifelong obsession." He paused, handing the wand back to Krum. "Do not let yours take over your life, young man. There are many other things that one can do with his life."

Krum nodded again and turned away with a quick thank you. He ran his hand over his hand before slipping it back in his wrist holster. He walked over to the reporter woman. She laid a hand on his shoulder and led him out of the room. The man with the camera followed quickly.

"Mister Diggory" Ollivander called out, waving the Hufflepuff towards him. Cedric handed over his wand with a smile.

"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it? Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn...must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches...ash...pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition...You treat it regularly?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Polished it last night." Cedric said, smiling.

"Very good, Mister Diggory," Ollivander waved it and whispered a spell. The tip of the wand lit up brightly, and the old man grinned before handing it back to the Hufflepuff, who nodded in thanks.

Cedric walked over to the door that Krum and Ms. Skeeter had disappeared behind and knocked. The cameraman's head poked out and waved Cedric in. Moments later, Krum walked out, scowling. He walked over to his headmaster and began whispering to the man harshly. Kararoff brushed him off and pointed towards where Harry was sitting. The Durmstrang student stalked over and flopped into his seat from earlier, a frown still etched on his face.

"Ms. Delacour." The beauxbatons student stood and handed the older man her wand. The wandmaker hummed and rolled the wand between his fingers as he had with Krum's.

"A Veela hair core, how unusual." He muttered.

"It was my grandmother's." Fleur said, sweeping her hair over her shoulder. Ollivander nodded.

"Ah. Those without Veela heritage are unable to use wands with a Veela core, but those who share a familial connection with the giver of the air can find even more strength in the core than those who do not."

"Yes." She said, smiling at the wandmaker's knowledge. Harry bit his lip, trying to hide a grin. So, she was Veela. The twins had been right. He had to tell Ron.

He frowned and shook his head. No, the redhead was currently not talking to him, and now Hermione probably wouldn't either. He hadn't exactly been nice to her, but then again, she'd kinda deserved it. She was taking Ron's side, when Ron was the one that was in the wrong. He sighed and looked back over at Fleur and Ollivander. The man was muttering quietly while examining the wand.

"Hmm…nine and a half inches…inflexible…rosewood, a beautiful wood, but one that I, unfortunately do not use often. Few seem able to form a connection with it. It is known to enhance female beauty and feminine grace. It would work particularly well with a Veela hair core. Have you been able to form a connection with it, Ms. Delacour?" He asked, looking up from the wand at her. She nodded and played with one of her earrings.

"Yes. It iz like an extension of me." She said, blushing slightly. Ollivander nodded.

"Orchideous." He said, drawing a circle in the air with the wand. A bouquet of purple orchids popped out of the wand. Ollivander smiled, removing the bouquet from the wand and handing it to the girl.

"Take good care of this and it will treat you well." He said, pressing the wand gently into her hand. She nodded and kissed the man on the cheek.

"I will, thank you Mizter Ollivander."

Cedric smiled at the girl as he left the interview room. She nodded at him and walked past him. Cedric's cheeks heated up, turning pink and he ducked his head.

"Mister Potter." Ollivander called out, waving at the Hogwarts student. Harry smiled and shook the man's outstretched hand.

"Hello sir." He said, the older man grinned.

"It is good to see you again, Mister Potter." Harry handed Ollivander his wand. He balanced the wand in his hand and smiled.

"This wand, I remember. Holly with phoenix feather...eleven inches…nice and supple…" He muttered, "Did you know, Mister Potter, that the Holly is often considered a protective herb. There used to be an old ritual in which midwives would sprinkle a bit of ground holly on newborn babies to ward away evil and troubles."

"It is funny though that the berries are poisonous." He mused, "Perhaps that is indicative of your wand's brother. It is the poisoner while yours is the protector." He hummed and swished the wand. Bagman's robes changed from blue to bright yellow. Ollivander winked at Harry.

"Works perfectly, though it could use a good polishing." He said, handing the wand back to Harry with a level gaze. Harry looked down, avoiding the older wizard's eyes.

"Yes, sir." He said, nodding. He turned and walked over to the interview room and knocked.

**-.-.-.-**

**AN: **

**Sorry it took me so long to get this out. These past few weeks, I've been pretty busy and stressful, but the good news is my book(t's a small collection of poetry), Toast is Just Bread That Put Up a Fight, got released! I've kinda been a little too excited to write. Lol! **

**Also, I wanted to ask PaC a question in regards to their review. Since you reviewed anonymously, I couldn't PM you, but I was kind of confused by what you meant. Luna has just been introduced to the story, so Harry doesn't know her very well yet. Her character will evolve as she becomes more involved in the story. I hope that makes things a little clearer for you. :)**

**Question for all other ****readers: Do you guys think I should change the summary? Let me know in the reviews if you think so. I've been kind of worried that it's turning people off the story, unfortunately. **

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! make sure to leave a review. :) **


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